Dams, hydroelectricity, and the effect apon the ecosystems Term Paper

Dams, hydroelectricity, and the effect apon the ecosystems - Term Paper Example However, the idea of constructing more dams in various places has been welcomed with great opposition. Many economic and social arguments have been raised against the construction of dam, but the most profound fact that has overshadowed all other arguments is the major ecological effects that large dams have on the ecosystem. Considering hydroelectricity, hydropower is actually a renewable energy since it depends on the water cycle on earth for the generation of electricity. The cycle of water begins when the water evaporates to form clouds which in turn condenses and precipitates back to the earth and gets back to the water reservoirs. Despite the fact that hydropower pose no effects on the quality of air, the process of constructing and operating large hydropower dams can have significant impact on natural ecosystem such as river systems wildlife and aquatic life population. The assessment of how hydropower affects the environment can be effectively done by reviewing different case s. This paper aims at discussing the effects that hydroelectricity and dams have upon the ecosystem. Effects of Dams upon the Ecosystem Dams have significant effects on both the downstream and upstream ecosystems. Dams comprise hindrances on rivers longitudinal exchange and they alter numerous processes in the natural environment. Flooding of dams in the upstream brings about total damage to the terrestrial ecosystems via a process known as inundation. Flooding eliminates all terrestrial animals and plants inhabiting the affected areas. Water reservoirs inhibit some aquatic species from migrating by obstructing their pathways1. On the downstream, there are obvious changes in sediment transport, water quality and temperature, and flow regime. These particular changes occur gradually and they are not easy to predict. The very common effect of large dams downstream is the reduction of annual water discharge; this lead to an increase in low flows and a decrease in high flows. Flood peak s reduction decreases the period, degree and frequency of floodplain outpouring. A decrease in the channel-formation shrinks the chances of channel migration. Transportation of sediment in the reservoir brings about complex alterations in aggregation and deprivation on the dams surface. Regulation alters the chronological flooding prototype, an effect that desynchronizes temperature systems and yearly water flow. These particular alterations have a direct influence on some dynamic factors affecting the heterogeneity of habitats and the integrity of the river ecosystem ecology. Changes in water quality, water to land interface, and thermal regime have direct impact in primary production, which translates to long term effects on aquatic life and other members in the upper food chain. Dams may also bring about alterations in the ecosystem even at a distance far from the dam2. For instance, any alteration on the transportation of sediments may result in changes in floodplains, coastal d elta and river morphology numerous of miles from the dam site. The river ecosystem responds to dams in several, complex, and diverse ways. Subsequently, while endeavouring to establish the impacts of dams on the ecosystem there is need for large bank of information relating to: riparian vegetation and related fauna; quality of water; rivers hydraulic features; geomorphologic features; aquatic animals and their environment; importance of river’

A Response to R.A.V v City of St. Paul Case Study

A Response to R.A.V v City of St. Paul - Case Study Example The court case of R.A.V v. city of St. Paul would have revised the definition of the hate speech guided by the provisions of the First Amendment. The court should have convicted the white teenager based on the injury caused by burning a cross in front of a black family’s residence. The act was injurious in nature based on Butler’s argument that any speech or act with elements that imply hate or racism should be prosecuted. The cross was the fighting symbol that the plaintiff used to arouse anger and resentment to the black family. The misdemeanor caused by the white teenager would have been by the trial court for prosecution instead of dismissing the charge. Butler is convinced that the act of cross burning amounts to hate speech and should not be protected by the constitution. Additionally, the decision by the court to include the provisions of the First Amendment to dismiss the case was irrelevant. The Minnesota court would have ruled in favor of the City of St. Paul instead of dismissing the destructiveness of cross burning (Butler, 2013). The court ruling can be used by racists to conduct heinous act against other community guided by the protection of speech in the constitution. The court decision would have been based on the historical accounts that relate to cross-burning. The act has been used before to carry out racist attacks black families in the United States. Butler established that the court was wrong because it failed to consider past cases of cross burning. She felt that the act itself contained a threat that could be prosecuted in court. Butler felt that the constitution should have included cross burning in the list of fires (Butler, 2013). The court ruling would have prosecuted the teenager based on the definition of fire in RAV v. St. Paul case. The ruling would pave the way for amendments in the way the constitution protects citizens’ free speech.  Ã‚